In 1925 the fledgling WCHL had one last gasp when the Victoria Cougars broke won the Stanley Cup breaking the NHL's stranglehold on hockey's most prestigious trophy. The Cougars would make the finals again in 1926 but the league was dead.

Several East Coast investors would buy the remaining WCHL teams moving them to Eastern Cities in the NHL. The Cougars were purchased by a group of 26 investors led by Charles Hughes who moved them to Detroit.

However, an arena was not ready for the Cougars and they played their first season in the nearby town of Windsor Ontario. On November 18th the Detroit Cougars played their first game losing to the Bruins at Windsor's Border Cities Arena.

That first year playing without a true home the Cougars would struggle finishing last in the American Division with a 12-28-4 record.